You might have thought that Northern Ireland was one jurisdiction where the judiciary had learned the dangers of conducting justice in secret.

Evidently not. The Belfast Telegraph reports that a judge sitting in Derry, Barney McElholm, has imposed reporting restrictions on a case involving three men.

One was charged with obstructing a police officer; the second with perverting the course of justice by falsely identifying someone to the police; and the third with perverting the course of justice by falsely claiming he was someone who had been asked to produce their driving documents.

The judge has previously imposed anonymity orders in drugs trials, citing the activities of of a vigilante group, Republican Action Against Drugs, which has been blamed for around 40 paramilitary-style punishment attacks on alleged drug dealers.

The judge explained that he did so because "there are people out there who seem to believe if someone is charged with an offence it means they are guilty of it".

But the new order relates to offences that are not drug-related, and judge McElholm's decision is regarded by the Telegraph's editor, Mike Gilson, as an error of judgment.